Zack Saunders of ARCH[or]studio was pleased to have the opportunity to assist with the fabrication of this exquisite work by marcosandmarjan! On view at the FRAC Centre thru 02.02.2014.

The installation is an ornamental wall structure for external use composed of numerous cellular components that work as a scaffold for algae to grow.

The patterns have multiple patterns with gaps and crevices that aim for a gradual involvement of nature in its three-dimensional surface. The wall is made out of foam which is a quintessential insulation material. What is usually hidden in external walls is here turned inside out and exposed as an ornate thick surface.Each cellular component is seeded with terrestrial algae that grows in the ridges of the variable patterns.

The selected algae strains are Neochloris texensis - a soil based algae of the Neochloris genus and Trentepohlia - a filamentous green chlorophyte algae traditionally living on tree trunks, rocks or housing facades. The filaments of Trentepohlia have a strong orange colour caused by large quantities of carotenoid pigments which mask the green of the chlorophyll.

Particular to this fast growing algae is that they live symbiotically in lichens which grow much slower, but ultimately create an enduring natural outer protection for the insulation wall. Each cellular component is also designed to host a variety of flasks in which liquid algae can grow for ground fertilization or simply to help creating a varied ecology of natural elements on the wall.

news

SOILED No. 6: Deathscrapers is now available at Printed Matter, Inc. in NYC!

"Printed Matter, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit grant-supported bookstore, artist organization, and arts space presently located at 231 11th Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Printed Matter focuses on publications made and distributed by artists. (...) Many radical, avant-garde and experimental artists and writers have been linked to Printed Matter, Inc. Figures in its early history were critic and artist Lucy Lippard, artist Sol LeWitt, and Carl Andre among others. Printed Matter served as a sort of support system for avant-garde artists as well as a place of community, oftentimes balancing functions as both a producer of books as well as an exhibition space and center of the downtown arts scene."(1)

"As one of the world’s largest publicly available source for artists' books, Printed Matter is an important voice in a vibrant and expanding field. At the heart of our mission is a longstanding open submission process, inviting artists and independent publishers to submit their books for sale at Printed Matter. We circulate over 32,000 publications annually on behalf of artists and small presses through our non-profit store in Chelsea, our online catalog and other distribution channels. With a commitment to representing and engaging a diverse community of artists, Printed Matter is in many cases one of the few outlets for artist-made publications on the peripheries of mainstream distribution networks."(2)

DEATHSCRAPERS summons the architecture that surrounds the dearly departed. Seeking alternately to soften death’s physical and emotional toll or cultivate death’s instrumental potential, the stories of Deathscrapers span all scales of spaces for the dead and the bereaved to examine how living people engage with dead bodies, expired buildings, and comatose cities. While death may be a solemn subject and discussing it openly is often taboo in American culture, this issue of SOILED offers an optimistic and human attitude toward understanding how spatial and architectural issues actively participate in death culture.

SBODIO32 is an alternative exhibition project at Ventura Design District in Lambrate

"SBODIO 32 is a project based exhibition of 800+ sqm in Fuorisalone / Milan Design Week that interacts with the public through a series of events, seminars and workshops. The exhibition is held at the Ventura Design District in Lambrate area; one of the most vibrant areas of Milan's design week. It showcases innovative works produced by a range of contemporary emerging talents within the fields of Industrial Design, Product Design, Fashion Design and Architecture in the era of the design paradox between materiality and Advanced design techniques."

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"Fuorisalone.it is the official guide to Milan Design Week."

www.fuorisalone.it/2016/en

Exhibition Examines the Future of Nutrition

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"Feed Me was a pop-up exhibition that took place during NYCxDesign 2015. The show challeged designers to create artifacts that commented on or visualized future products that related to nutrition and food. The exhibition included work from 22 designers ranging from practical to conceptual. The show was organized by Grouphug, a collective that aims to address global problems faced by society through a design lens."

"F.A.S.E. (Flavor Augmenting Scent Emitters) by Oscar Salguero and Zack Saunders is a wearable scent generator concept that replicates food smells. The project imagines a scenario 70 years in the future where all food is manufactured in homogeneous form and separate devices generate taste and smell."

10 Things to See During New York Design Week 2015

A concise guide from Core77's editors to help you navigate this year's events.

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FEED ME at Los Perros Locos:

"What does the future of food look like? This concept is taken up by designers across the country in 20 provocative proposals ranging from market-ready products to visionary concepts. Visitors can expect to find a host of imaginative and pleasantly wacky ideas, including scratch and sniff vitamins, nasal flavor enhancement accessories, and wearable pizza. Sure to be an unconventional respite from NYDW fairs! Opens May 8."

All are invited out to vote at the final, public round of judging on Thursday, October 30 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the East District Family Resource Center (2405 Jefferson Ave). Come meet the finalists and view their creative designs. All members of the public attending will be given the opportunity to vote for the favorite design. These votes will be added to the panel of judges’ final score to determine the ultimate winner.

The Jefferson Pocket Park competition aims to beautify and transform the Jefferson Avenue corridor into a cherished, environmentally friendly community space focusing on the triangular plot of land at 2221 Jefferson Avenue in Richmond. Better Housing Coalition (BHC) and BHC’s junior board have collaborated with Storefront for Community Design, Friends of Jefferson Park, and the Enrichmond Foundation to support the competition and development of the pocket park.

The goal is to submit a final design to appropriate City departments by Spring 2015 with fundraising to take place soon after, with installation to occur sometime in 2016."